by Staff
Crystal Emery, an independent filmmaker and activist who battled debilitating diseases to produce works highlighting health care inequities and the achievements of Black women in medicine, died on May 5 at the age of 65.
“Crystal dedicated her life to expanding conversations around equity, humanity, accessibility, and visibility through her films, books, plays, educational programming, comedy, and storytelling. She was a visionary creative, advocate, nonprofit leader, and cultural force whose work touched countless lives across communities, classrooms, stages, and screens,” read a tribute announcement of her death distributed Monday to her supporters.
Emery’s husband, Michael, confirmed for the Independent on Monday that Crystal died on the morning of Tuesday, May 5, at St. Raphael’s hospital. “Crystal was an amazing force of nature,” he said. “She loved New Haven.”
Emery was born in the Brookside housing development on the city’s west side. She began getting involved in theater while a student at the University of Connecticut. Throughout her adult life she battled quadriplegia, diabetes, and a degenerative nerve disease. That didn’t stop her from directing documentaries, including Black Women in Medicine, which highlighted the work of seven physicians and aired on American Public Television. She also wrote columns, a play, and a book about 100 Black female doctors.
She founded a diversity-promoting nonprofit called URU The Right To Be. The daughter of a firefighter, Emery, through URU, teamed up with the city’s fire department in 2021 to promote Covid tests and vaccinations at New Haven’s 10 firehouses.
In 2025 Emery branched out to stand-up, performing as an opening act at New York’s Bellhouse Theatre. She then performed at New Haven’s Bregamos Community Theater; click here to read Lucy Gellman’s article about that performance in the Arts Paper.
“We respectfully ask for continued prayers and privacy for the family during this difficult time. Memorial service details and ways to honor Crystal’s legacy will be shared in the coming days,” stated the death announcement, which was distributed through URU.